I got Lily Allen’s sophomore effort, It’s Not Me, It’s You last week or so and have not regretted it. This album is a combination of catchy pop melodies & Allen’s witty lyrics with just a touch of eccentricity. It’s Not Me opens with ‘Everyone’s At It’, a danceable track that speaks about how drug use is ever-present in current society, in which Allen laments “but when will we tire of putting shit up our noses?”. It’s quite catchy and one of my favourites.
The next track, ‘The Fear’, is the lead single off the album. A sunny electropop song where Lily voices she is being “taken over by the fear” of an utterly materialistic, consumption-driven, celebrity-fueled world, and it makes for a pretty legit single, if I do say so myself.
‘Not Fair’ seems to be the ‘Not Big’ of It’s Not Me, a country western-infused ditty about a beau who is perfectly nice but lacking in the ~bedroom department~, something the songstress just think is “not fair”. ‘22’ is a snap & clap-filled song about a 30-year old woman who does not know what to do with her dwindling life, and sports a piano break with a nice jazzy feel.
‘I Could Say’, a optimistic post-breakup starts out slow & piano-driven but escalates into a more electropop-feeling song. Overall a solid song, & the sole piano outro adds a nice touch. Starting out with a techno feel, ‘Back to the Start’ tells of a friendship turned sour due to envy & jealousy, with Allen pleading the target of her grudge to “go back to the start” and forgive her. The chorus is fast-paced and danceable, and the electronic breaks do nothing but add to the song.
‘Never Gonna Happen’, a sharp-tongued rejection song, sounds a bit like a polka. The chorus is a bit odd-sounding but has a strange appeal and the song in its entirety stands out with its accordion-laced verses. Quite a few demos have been floating around of this next song for a while now, as well as titles. The final title is just a terse ‘Fuck You’. The final mix sounds quite nice, and Allen’s politically-charged, joyous proclamation of “fuck you very very much” is just fun.
‘Who’d Have Known’ is more of a lazy, relaxing friends-turned romance song. While the chorus is a bit repetitive, the verses make me smile in their charming lyrical simplicity. As a whole, the track is pretty nice although at times it feels a little too long.
‘Chinese’ has a nice, homely feel praising life’s simple pleasures. It’s smooth-sounding and lovely.
‘Him’ is probably my favourite track. It is just utterly listenable. Many inquiries about God are sung [such as “Do you think his favourite type of human is Caucasian?” or “Do you think he’d drive in his car without insurance?”] against a charming guitar melody. Definitely one to get.
A vintage-sounding closing track, ‘He Wasn’t There’ charmingly speaks of Allen’s father who although was not an active presence in her life, “now everything’s fine”.
Overall <It’s Not Me, It’s You is composed of wonderfully sugary pop songs consisting of witty lyricism and delightful melodies that will leave a smile on your face.

Recommended: ‘Him’, ‘Everyone’s At It’, ‘The Fear’.

Bands/solo artists YOU should know about. because like…they’re good.

rob pattinson.
[acoustic/folk].
Okay, so he’s not so unknown, being the star of the wildly popular Twilight. but he is a singer/songwriter/guitar player, and not everyone knows that. personally i think his music is fantastic, his vocals are very twangy and unique and not what i expected of him. i was pleasantly surprised. i don’t think he has a music myspace; if he does, let me know. but here one of his songs, entitled Stray Dog. if he ever releases an album or EP i will smile.

johnny gallagher jr.
[acoustic/folk rock].
John Gallagher jr. is known around the broadway community for starring in the original cast of the rock musical Spring Awakening and winning a Tony award for his work, as well as appearing in other shows such as Rabbit Hole and Port Authority. He is a former member of the harmonic folk band Old Springs Pike. His solo music is a nice style of folk-rock with unique lyrics that i thoroughly enjoy. definitely recommended.

the spring standards.
[percussion & harmony-driven folk rock].
The Spring Standards, (formerly Old Springs Pike) are a fierce 3-piece folk-rock outfit driven by harmonies and percussion. They recently appeared on Conan, despite not even having a publisher. The band consists of James Cleare, James Smith & Heather Robb, all of which provide vocals for the band. With from-the-heart lyrics, catchy harmonies and high-energy performances, The Spring Standards are a must-hear.

links and other tasty tidbits collected throughout the week.

Trashy Deluxe can make you a custom nameplate necklace with whatever word[s] you desire! I’m debating on either ordering ’scandalous’, ‘epic fail’ or ‘for the win’. Thoughts?

I found this article on transgender children to be fascinating. A good & long read.

Also, This was amusing.